Flowers. Chocolate. Custom pajamas with your face plastered on it. Mom’s going to love anything you get her for Mother’s Day this year. (At least, that’s what she’ll tell you.) 

But what does Mom really want? 

She wants her career back.

And that's a great opportunity to add an amazing high performer to your team.

Why are we talking about this now, though?

The pandemic problem

‍In 2020, American women lost more than 5M jobs. And not by their choice. Along with many of the layoffs that occurred as the result of the pandemic, women were disproportionately forced to leave their jobs and take care of children who could no longer attend school in person.

Today, more than 1.3M of them remain without work. 

It’s a stark contrast to pre-pandemic numbers that show women actually edged out men when it came to representation in the workforce.  

But the good news is, moms are poised to make a career comeback. And their skillsets are just as relevant as ever — especially for SMBs that are focused on scaling. Here are five reasons why growing SMBs should make moms their next hire:

1. Moms know that hours don’t matter. Results do.

That’s because they’re great at time management. Moms are pros at making the most out of the precious hour they get when kiddo’s taking their nap — budgeting, laundry, meal planning, finding the solution to the Collatz Conjecture. They’re hustling with skill and style under some pretty stressful constraints (ever had a colic-y baby threaten to wake up before their bottle is ready?). The mom on your team is guaranteed to lap everyone in the office when it comes to checking off tasks with a tight turnaround.‍

2. They’re not afraid of shouldering more responsibility.

‍A lot has been made of the “mental load,” AKA the invisible labor involved in managing a household and family. And it disproportionately falls on women. Even in households where chores are split, women are typically the ones running a never-ending list of to-do items in their head, remembering what needs to get done and when, delegating all the tasks to respective family members, and making sure they actually get done. That same ‘take charge’ ethos translates into a powerful project manager — and one who gets results. Something to consider when bringing on a team lead.

3. Flexibility? Moms practically invented the concept.

Moms will be the first to tell you that when it comes to kids, expect the unexpected. (Case in point: holiday photos with Santa — 70% of the time you’ll have at least one child channeling their inner screaming banshee.) But moms are pros at taking lemons and making Lemon Drops. And when big changes are afoot in the workplace, you can count on moms to keep their cool and stay relatively unfazed through the situation. If your kid’s ever thrown up on your date night outfit 30 seconds before the babysitter walks through the door, you know what we’re talking about.

4. When it comes to organization, your digital planner has nothing on moms.

To be fair, moms are probably using those too. Speaking of which, have you ever taken a peek at a mom’s schedule? Multiple school drop-offs and pick-ups; sports practices; classroom volunteering; due dates for field trip forms; doctor appointments; birthday parties — if anyone’s poised to develop a technology that allows you to be in two places at once, it’s 100% going to be a mom. And the only way they keep it all moving is through extraordinary organizational skills. Just think of what that level of organization can do for your next major team project.

5. They can level up your company culture.

Hiring moms is just one part of the equation. You also need to build a company culture that woos working moms back into the fold — and makes them want to stay. According to a Gallup poll, 54% of working women in the U.S. (with children under the age of 18) would prefer to stay home, but might consider returning to work if the workplace was more accommodating.

That means taking a hard look at your company culture and evaluating policies that encourage work-life balance — remote work, flexible schedules, paid maternity leave, and generous PTO allowances all help achieve that goal. But it’s also about being understanding of parents' needs. Taking your child to the doctor isn’t a vacation or enjoyable time off — consider letting the moms in your workspace take a few hours to tend to their kiddos’ appointment without counting it toward their PTO bank. A little bit of empathy goes a long way.

Also, keep in mind that an inclusive work culture embraces moms and gives them the tools they need to thrive. And it’s not just moms that benefit — your entire company will, too. Employees that have to take care of ailing parents or a spouse with a long-term illness will feel supported by these same policies. And fostering an environment of psychological commitment and emotional ownership among your employees is one of the best ways to keep them happy, productive, and committed to growing your company for years to come.